8-13-12, 9:32 PM
by Guardian of the Nakano
Summary: Shisui Uchiha discovers something by the shore of his home in Cape Disappointment, Washington. Rated T for language. Now being continued!
1. Chapter 1

_My name is Shisui Uchiha. _

_I will most likely be dead and gone before anyone can read this._

_But they exist. _

_Mer-people, or whatever...they exist. They do._

_I met one. Well, not met. I saw it. I swear._

_This is not a joke, please believe me. I want people to know the truth._

_They're after me because I know. _

_I have evidence. A lot of evidence. A lot more than scientists, or doctors, or the fucking government._

_I know it all._

_I have it all._

_And even after I'm gone, I want somebody to know that they existed._

_He existed._

_If you read this and know where I live, go to the coast and tell them to go. To leave. They will understand you. Just tell them that people will come and they will harm them. Bring the key to this diary kept in my bedside drawer and hold it up on the plateu like cliff above the water. You'll see them come to the shore. Approach them slowly with your palms raised, keeping the key in sight. Tell them I sent you, and tell them to leave and never come back._

_Enclosed is every picture I took, every video, every spear head that he showed me. Everything! I don't want his sacrifice to go to waste. _

_You can call it all fake, but I want him to live on. _

_I want to live on._

_I don't want to die._

That was the last diary entry Shisui ever wrote. It was kept in his journal beneath his mattress and writen in a way that suggested urgency. Inside, there were several bits and pieces of what is assumed to be spears, all consisting of bone and sediment, some containing traces of fish found in the area. There are contraband photographs, videos, and recordings of what seems to be high-pitched and rapid examples of a dolphin's echolocation. They appear to be legitimate through the simple fact that he posessed at the time of photography no capability of fradulating such evidence. This evidence has been captured by the U.S. Government and Homeland Security for safekeeping lest such accusations be leaked to the public. Shisui himself was captured and interrogated as to the wherabouts of the mermaids he proported to be real. After failing to comply with the interrogators several times and attempting to escape, a bribe was attempted for him to keep this information silent.

He refused the bribe and threatened to leak everything if released. In return, he was promptly dealt with. His last words, which are most worrying for those behind the apprehension and eradication of the evidence of amphibious humans, were, "Others know."

The search is currently on for whoever "others" denotes, and they, when found, are scheduled for immediate execution or appeasement by financial or material means.

The prime suspect is thought to be Shisui's little sister, Kimsong Uchiha, who went missing shortly after Shisui Uchiha was detained, along with the key to the confiscated journal. She is still missing two years later.

The investigation showed no live traces of humanoid life in the waters near their home West of Cape Disappointment, Washington, though evidence was found through abandoned spear heads and a single corpse showing signs of aquatic influence on genetics. This was confiscated and assumed to be the singular being Shisui Uchiha wrote of in previous entries, the hypothesis being pulled from what appears to be a necklace around the aquatic individual's neck matching the necklace that Shisui Uchiha wore at the time of is not thought to be coincidence, as one entry states _"...as a peace offering, I brought him the other necklace that came with the one I bought the other day. I guess we're friends because he allowed me to put it on his neck only after I showed him the one on mine..." (Page 8, lines 12-13)_

There is no current estimate on how many citizens may or may not know of Shisui Uchiha's findings. There is speculation that it is a bluff and there is no evidence that has been released to the public.

Shisui Uchiha's death has been released as suicide by drowning to the public, and a closed-casket funeral was held. His death has been questioned by the public, but never speculated on to the point of threat of discovery. Until the U.S. Government has reason to fear the revelation of amphibious beings, with Shisui Uchiha's death, is in danger of being revealed, it is surmised the secret is safe.

-o-

A/N: Written before my birthday dinner at Thai Palace.

After watching the documentary on Animal Planet about mermaids (Which I believe in wholeheartedly), I formed the idea in my head. It was intended to be longer and include his diary entries, but I've decided against it, as I have much more to work on. If enough people respond with reviews saying they want more, I will probably begin writing it, but until then, it is an idea in my head.

Any questions about the story, I will be sure to respond to~ Feel free to PM me!

-The Mythological Nakano


	2. Chapter 2

Shisui looked out over the ocean from the cliff that reached seventy feet high. Waves crashed into the base of the giant rock, doubling in on themselves and falling away, bringing a little of the cliff with them. Freezing nettles stung his face and whipped about his curly hair, the shoulder length tresses flying in his line of vision, dampening with the ocean spray. It was January, and the air itself must have been thirty degrees, but that didn't stop him from removing his shoes and discarding them on some mossy grass nearby. His shirt followed, along with his undershirt, then his belt. He was left nearly bare in the freezing wind, wearing only his khaki shorts and a necklace. He took a few steps back. Ran forward.

And jumped.

-o-

It was all legend, of course. The stories. That something other than fish lived in the ocean around Cape Disappointment, Washington. An old wives' tale. Stories that fishermen laughed over at a pub. Nobody believed anything of the like existed. Even so, it drew thousands of tourists to the spot every year, generating revenue for the town. Nobody complained.

And, of course, the hoaxes that happened every year, unforgettable. Usually on April Fool's Day, _somebody_ will go and fake a mermaid sighting. PhotoShop a picture or even put on a fin themselves. Make a video. It was all in good fun, and usually stirred up a little more buisness around the pier. But it was all fake, of course.

Mermaids didn't exist.

-o-

His mother presented him with a diary, a _journal_, she called it to make it sound more masculine. He found it sitting on his bed after he got out of the hospital. Something to write his thoughts in. It even had a key.

Sure, Shisui appreciated the gesture, but a _diary?_ Oh, sorry. _Journal._ Makes it sound _real_ better. But a diary? What was the point in writing down what he felt? Nobody gave a damn anyways. Locking him up in a hospital for four months. It was ridiculous. Just made him want to end it even more.

He plopped down on his bed and unlocked the diary, grabbing a pen from his bedside table.

_Dear Diary,_

_ Why the Hell do you exist? You worthless thing. You can't help me._

_ -Shisui_

He laughed at the destructive comments. Exactly what he was told to avoid. But it didn't matter. Nobody was gonna read the damn thing. He could write what he wanted. So he clicked the pen and jotted down:

_ P.S. Fuck you._

Shisui laughed again. And continued to laugh until his little sister shyly peered around the door.

"Hey, Kimmzy-mimmzy," he chimed, lighting up instantly. "What's up?"

Kimsong glanced down the hallway and slipped into her older brother's room, somewhere she hadn't been allowed in for a long time. Shisui swept her up as she walked in and kicked the door closed, placing her on the bed. She stared wide-eyed at the brother she hadn't seen in a long time. "Nii-nii, where did you go for so long?"

Shisui stopped smiling, a darkness shrouding his eyes. "Away."

"Away...that's not what Momma said."

"Oh, really?" he cocked an eyebrow. Did she really tell Kimmi the truth? "Then what did Momma say?"

"She said that you were in the hospital, because you had an accident."

Shisui frowned. Only telling Kimmi half of it. He couldn't help but think that his old-fashioned mother thought of it as an accident, too. Like he accidently tried to kill himself. Let them think that, he thought. It would be so much easier.

"Exactly. That's why we tell you not to go out on those cliffs. It's dangerous."

Kimsong nodded and said, "Now I know not to go out there alone."

"Very good, Mimmzy," he grinned.

"Dinner's ready," she said finally.

"Alright," Shisui conceded. "Let's go get dinner."

-o-

Shisui was thankful that school wasn't starting back for some time. He couldn't stand that place. He was so glad to be graduating this year, getting the Hell outta Dodge and moving on to do...whatever he wanted to do with life. Marine biology seemed like a cool idea.

But it wasn't like he had any friends who shared his interests. He didn't even have any friends in general. He was notoriously antisocial, and hostile towards anybody who tried to get close to him. With a reason, of course. He learned better than to like people. Everybody in the world was bitter. Even he.

Everything grows bitter with time. Even the sweetest of things.

His mother absolutely restricted going to the cliffs again, even though they were in their backyard, leaving virtually nothing for him to do. He just stared out of the window all day wistfully, wishing that he could just _sit_ on the cliff. Watch the sea slowly eat away at their home. But even that was gone now. It just hurt worse, and he wished all the more that he would have died.

"Shisui?" he heard a knock at his door and called, "Yeah."

The door creaked open and his mother stepped into the room. "Shisu, you can't sit in here all day, can you? It's a nice day."

"It's overcast," was all he said.

"...don't you want to find something to do?"

"Like what?" he asked honestly.

"How about getting a part-time job? Something to keep you out of the house? Staying inside like this isn't good for you at all."

"Admit it," Shisui sighed. "You just want me out of the house and away from the cliffs. Momma, I'm not gonna try and jump again. I'm not _insane_ like everybody said. If something didn't work the first time, I get it. But I prefer it in here, where nobody else is."

"..." Iseul sighed, unrelenting. "The convenience store is hiring."

"Who died?"

"Shisu, that isn't funny. Mrs. Avery's daughter went to college. They're getting on in years so I told them you would help."

"You, what?" Shisui bolted upright. "Momma!"

"Shisu, I won't have you waste away in this house staring at the cliffs all day. It isn't good for you. Remember when you used to go to town every day? You're a lot paler now, too. You were so tan from playing outside."

"Then Dad died," he spat.

Iseul frowned. "...They want you there tomorrow at seven."

"Oh, Jesus."

"Shisu. Seven. I'll even drive you down if you want."

"No, that's okay," he conceded. "I'll ride my bike."

Shisui glanced at the clock and sighed, deciding to go to sleep early. He turned off the lamp and pulled the covers over his head, not bothering to undress. Iseul murmured, "I love you, Shisu."

"Love you, too, Momma."

-o-

Shisui pulled his bag over his shoulder and threw his leg over his bike. One glance at the cliffs and he felt the all-familiar tug at his chest, the urge to let go. But if it didn't work once, it wouldn't work a second time. So off he went, pedaling down the hill on the path to town. He couldn't resist the pull of the ocean, so beautiful, powerful, and unforgiving. And oh, so mysterious. What it truly held was a mystery.

For example: Why didn't it kill him that day?

Shisui shook his head. No more thoughts. None like that. He watched the sea as he rode along and suddenly grinned when he saw a few synchronized splashes in the distance. Dolphins.

They themselves cheered him up enough so that he wore a smile all the way to town. The streets were nearly empty, save for the occasional shop owner. Meanwhile, Shisui spotted Mrs. Avery from a good distance away. She was wearing a rather loud dress with too much makeup for her age. Her silvery-blonde hair was streaked with pink. He hopped off of his bike and walked it up to the storefront.

"Hey, Mrs. Avery," he said a tad loudly, knowing all-too well her hearing was going.

"Oh! Shisu. Your mother told me you were looking for a job. I said, to her, I said, 'Send that boy down here! We'd be glad to have the extra help.' And it _has_ been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, locking his bike.

"You and your manners. Call me Mable, Shisu."

"Yes, ma'am..." he answered again. "What would you like me to do, first?"

"So eager to get to work," Mable had a glint in her eye. "You've just got here. The store doesn't open for another hour. Mr. Avery's arthritis and all. But I'm still young," she laughed. Shisui wondered absently wether she realized she looked like Avril Lavigne's estranged grandmother or not. "Would you like some tea."

"Yes, ma'am," he conceded, reaching down for a large bag of mulch Mable was trying to carry. "I'll get that."

"So helpful, already! Thank goodness we have somebody like you around. To be honest, I don't think Mandy will come back to help once she's through with school. Big dreams for a big city, I suppose," the older woman sighed wistfully. "Children these days."

Shisui spent the day lifting heavier objects and organizing the shelves, sweeping and sighing as Mable went on and on. She could talk for hours, and did so. Shisui kept his mouth shut, however, and bore it. She was getting older and was probably happy to have somebody with good hearing to talk to. Mr. Avery was nearly deaf. You had to shout his name several times to get him to look up through his bifocals. With his gaudy Hawaiian shirts and Mrs. Avery's fishnet gloves, they made quite the pair.

By the time the store closed, he was incredibly sore. His shoulders were aching after lifting box after box of merchandise. His hip throbbed where he bumped into the counter, which really got Mable laughing and joking that Shisui must be more blind than Mr. Avery. He gritted his teeth and bore it. It was awful, to be laughed at by somebody so old looking so ridiculous. But he figured they wouldn't be around much longer. Then he could move on with his life.

"See you tomorrow," he called as he left, walking his bike down the pier. Waves crashed against the dock loudly, the wood creaking beneath his weight. It was only six o'clock, and the town wasn't usually so empty, especially with the dolphins just meters from the shore. Their cries were just audiable above the waves. Shisui leaned over the railing to get a closer view just as something darted out from beneath the dock, its tail splashing Shisui before it sped off. He froze. Was one really that close?

"No way...I didn't see a fin. What the Hell was that?" he murmured, watching the shadow beneath the water join the pod in the distance. He fished around in his pockets for a quarter and inserted it into the commercial binoculars beside him, trailing the splashing pod closely. He drew in a gasp just as they disappeared beneath a wave.

He could've sworn he saw a human head.

-o-

A/N: Some people said they wanted some more of the mermaid story, so here it is~I'll continue it gradually as I do my other stories. But for now, I'm really into this one and like the idea. I've even sketched out some designs for what Itachi looks like in this. Shisui, too. If you ask nicely, I might post them~

For now, though, enjoy~

-The Rippling Nakano~


	3. Chapter 3

Shisui stared absently at his ceiling, mind swirling with thoughts. A human head? Out that far in the water? It was most likely some swimmers practicing. Or a deep-sea diving group.

No, he thought, no, that's illogical. Not at this time of year. It's way to cold to even _contemplate_ swimming in that water. And, besides, there was no boat around to justify diving. It wasn't even that far out.

And it was a pod of them. Or...whatever a group could be called, he considered. "Rationalize, dumba-...Shisui," he whispered to himself, attempting to quell the anxiety welling in his chest, just like his therapist said. Speak slowly. Don't insult yourself. "Think, Shisui...Just people. _Think_."

Shisui shook his head and frowned at the ceiling fan, muscles aching lightly. A tightness coiled in his lower back and for a moment, he was afraid he had really hurt himself. But the pain felt good. So he didn't worry much.

Besides. If he was hurt, he couldn't work. Plain and simple.

His door creaked open slowly. Shisui sighed beneath his breath. "Yes?"

"Shisu...how was work?" his mother asked quietly, still drying her hands on her apron from the dishes.

"...'ts fine, I suppose. Not really sure how I'm supposed to feel about getting my ear yakked off by Mrs. Avery. Seems like more of a chore than lifting hundred-pounds of mulch every three minutes."

Iseul giggled lightly, perching on the edge of Shisui's bed. He eyed her warily, wincing as she reached to brush a strand of his wavy hair from his face. "Shisu...you know I love you, right?"

He offered no response as his mother reached for his journal. He shot up immediately. "What the Hell?"

Iseul only stared absently at the journal, the silver lock glinting in the lamp light. Shisui scowled. "What happened to it being my own personal-"

She withdrew a silver chain from her breast pocket and took the key, lacing it through. She hooked it around Shisui's throat.

"So you don't get paranoid," she smiled knowingly. Shisui only watched as the old, familiar smile returned to her aging face.

He knew how unfair it was to try and hate her. But it was his own fault. He hated his father, for dying and leaving them behind. He hated himself just for being around. For hurting his family. And besides. He couldn't hate her.

Shisui's eyes flew open suddenly when he felt his mother's fingers flick against his forehead, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Night, Shisu."

"Night, Momma..."

-o-

He was ripped from his nightmare early the next day, his alarm ringing in forteissimo near his head. Slamming a fist down on the snooze button, he rubbed his eyes and irritably kicked the blankets off of himself, standing in a fit of rage, then freezing. He covered his eyes and fell back onto his bed, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.

"Goddammit!" he screamed, slamming a fist onto his bed, then letting his other arm fall weakly away from his eyes, staring emptily at the ceiling. "Goddammit..."

Shisui heard footsteps coming from down the hall and bolted upright, hurrying into the bathroom to avoid any sort of confrontation, starting the shower up so nobody outside of the door would hear his cries as an anxiety attack hit him. He fell back onto the toilet lid and ran his fingers through his long hair, letting out a shuddering breath as he trembled, swallowing hard. He lowered his head to rest between his knees and tried to breathe evenly, hand bolting instinctively to the spot where he hid his razor. Trembling fingers felt along the underside of the counter for the rusted old razor that would be taped there, but he cursed as he remembered that it wasn't there anymore. He wasn't supposed to do that anymore.

"You're not supposed to do that anymore, Shisui," he told himself as if scolding a child. "Get in the shower, Shisui," he urged. "Calm down, Shisui," he continued. "Calm _down_, Shisu...dammit..." he shook his messy locks and cursed again beneath his breath. "Calm down, Shisui."

-o-

"You look worse for wear," Mable chuckled as Shisui entered the store, hair still damp, bags beneath his eyes.

He held his tongue, though at least thirty different comebacks flashed through his head simultaniously for her outfit today: A Beastie Boys tee shredded beyond repair and red skinny jeans, complete with her fishnet gloves.

Instead he tried: "I didn't know you liked Beastie Boys."

Mable got a curious glint in her eye and ducked behind the counter, leaving Shisui to frown in confusion. He heard a click and the old stereo started up over the PA, "No Sleep 'til!" echoing.

Shisui's mouth hung open in utter shock when Mable presented a casette case with "Liscence to Ill" scribbled hastily in marker.

"Okay, lemme get this straight..." Shisui started, "Not _only_ did you listen to Beastie Boys, but you stole music?"

Mable laughed and replaced the case. "My name back then was Maxine Mable Jameson. Before I was married, of course. I was a real wild-child. Then I settled down."

"Wild child?" Shisui prodded, taking a crate of cans and beginning to stack them.

"You know. Drinking, sneaking out, concerts, hotwiring the odd car or two."

"Hotwiring?" he paused in his work, blinking. "You hotwired cars?"

Mable just shrugged and grabbed her purse, "I'm going to pick up Mr. Avery. Be back soon. You know how to run the place while I'm gone, right, Shisu?"

Shisui nodded. "I've been here a week. Give me _some_ credit."

The older woman laughed and motioned to the counter, "There's some more casettes in the box back there if you wanna listen to something else. Just turn it down a bit if somebody comes in."

"Right," he conceded, returning to his work, a grin etched on his face as he unloaded the crate.

Before long, he ducked behind the counter, switching the tapes to a Scorpion casette, turning it down just as the bell to the door rang.

"Hello," he chimed absently as he went about righting the fallen cigarette cartons behind the counter.

"Shisui?" he heard incredulously behind himself, and turned.

Hana Inuzuka stood there, wearing clothes two sizes too large for her, hair pinned back in a tight ponytail, lip stud glinting dully. "Hey! It's been forever!"

"Yeah it has. Still single?"

Hana rolled her eyes and sighed. "There are _so_ many cute girls in school. _Why_ aren't they lesbos?" she crossed her arms and leaned on the counter. "When'd you get out?"

"'bout two weeks ago. Mom wanted me away from the cliffs so she has me working here. Not bad, though. Mrs. Avery is pretty cool. She has these sick casette tapes, too."

Hana laughed, "You have a crush on Mable!"

Shisui frowned. "Seriously?"

"Look, I know you're _wonky_ so chill out. I know you like the D," Hana laughed cruedly. Shisui rolled his eyes as Hana snorted. "Oh, chill out, will you? I mean, it's only fair. If you were _this _hot _and_ straight, nobody on Earth would stand a chance. In fact, are you _sure_ you don't like vagina? It's really not that bad, once you give it a chance."

"Jesus Christ, Hana, are you offering?"

"No...maybe," she laughed again. "Look, you're cute, okay? You make me question my sexuality, 'Sui-kun."

"Wish I could say the same," he quipped with a smirk. "Grow a dick and we'll talk."

Hana giggled as Shisui called a pleasant enough greeting to an entering customer, one who he recognized to be one of his mother's book club friends.

"Oh, Shisui! It's been too long," she chirped. "With that hair so long you look just like your mother!"

Shisui barely caught Hana's voice as she grumbled, _"Buncha fuckin' liars, what ya'll look like..."_

"Huh?"

"Nothin'," Hana sighed.

Shisui laughed in response. "Your accent," he warned.

"Huh? Oh, dammit!" The Inuzuka scowled. "I was born in Nevada, why, _why_ did they move me to Georgia when I was two?! God..."

Shisui only laughed once more, politely turning down the music for the customers entering the store.

"Laugh it up, faggot," Hana rolled her eyes. "And gimme a pack of Marlboro Reds, will ya?"

"Can I see some I.D.?"

"Bitch, you know my age!" She squawked indignantly, handing over a ten dollar bill, only to recieve a pack of cigarettes and $4.32 in change. "Come out to the pier when you get a chance. Dolphins passin' through."

Shisui's head shot up instantly. "You sure they're dolphins?"

Hana gave him a strange look. "They're squealing loudly and have fins. Pretty sure they're dolphins. Unless they're ninja sharks. Then we're fucked."

Shisui thought back to the previous week and scolded himself silently. "See?" his mind growled lowly. "Told you."

"Yeah, I'll be out there soon."

"Kay-kay. Laters," Hana called as she left.

"Shisu, was that your girlfriend?"

"No, Mrs. Ringer," Shisui answered patiently. "Still a _fairy_, as your husband put it," he added as he rung up her items.

"I don't know why he put it like that," the older woman said dreamily. "Faeries have no gender."

Shisui shrugged and handed her a bag and her change, glancing up just as Mr. and Mrs. Avery entered.

"Hey, Mr. Avery," Shisui said loudly enough for him to hear. "How's your wrists?"

"Better, now that the weather has cleared," Mable answered in stead of her husband. "The rain and all. Sorry to leave you like that."

"That's fine," he answered.

The door chimed open once more as Shisui returned to the register. Hana poked her head in. "Yo, Shisu. What do seagulls eat? There's a fuck-ton out there and my little bro wants to feed 'em. Do they eat Cheetos?"

"No," he answered patiently.

"Why not? Cheetos are boss."

"Oh, Hana!" Mrs. Avery piped up. "Seagulls don't eat Cheetos. Lord, child, if you had your way half of the ecosystem would be dead from fast food consumption."

"Oh, come on, Mrs. A. They probably eat worse out on the pier."

Mable waved her comment away. "Now, now, we have some bread in the back. I'll be just a moment."

The teenagers watched as Mable disappered into the back room. "Damn. Wish my grandma was like that. My grandma smells like mothballs and I have to take out my piercings every time I go over there."

Shisui frowned. "She's kinda weird. Fishnets? And I saw that same exact shirt in Spencer's."

"Who gives a shit? Mrs. A is fuckin' awesome. You said so, too."

Shisui shrugged, a look of contemplation overcoming his face. He rang up a few more customers as they waited. After ten minutes, he spoke up. "Did she fall or something?"

"I dunno. Go check."

"Yeah, send me to do the work," Shisui rolled his eyes, but Hana noticed his quickened pace as he entered the back room. "Mrs. Avery? You in here?"

"Jus-t a moment!" he heard a strained voice call and rushed around the corner. His eyes flashed wide open as he saw Mable precariously balancing on an overturned bucket balanced on top of a cardboard box on a stepladder.

"Jesus Christ!" he helped her down and grabbed the bread easily. "Mrs. Avery, you're gonna kill yourself!"

The older woman waved him away with a smile. "I've been doing this for years. I'm not dead yet, am I?" she giggled and left the storage room, leaving Shisui to gape after her as his pulse slowed.

"Shisu, since you watched the store all by yourself for the first time, I'll let you go on break early. I found out you like dolphins!" Shisui heard as he entered the store front.

"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.

"Oh, yeah. Go have fun with your dolphins!"

Shisui blinked twice. "Thanks...I'll be back before eleven."

Mable just shooed him away with a smile. Hana laughed and grabbed Shisui's arm, dragging him out of the store. _"Bet they're gonna have really kinky old people sex!"_ she whispered loudly, snorting at Shisui's disgusted expression.

"Jesus Christ, can you act decent for two minutes?"

"What do _you_ think?" she nudged him, undoing the twist tie as her younger brother ran up with a grin.

"Hey, I'll be right back. I'm gonna go pick up Kimmi, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Hana assured. "We'll be here. C'mon Kiba."

Shisui unlocked his bike from the rack and began pedaling up the hill to his house, going as fast as he could so neither he nor Kimmi would miss the dolphins, which didn't come around very often. His heart sank, however, when he reached his home and saw the car gone, a note on the door saying they went to the store, for school clothes, no less. He shuddered at the thought of returning to school. In fact, he dreaded it with all of his being.

A crash brought him out of his shivering fit and drew his attention to the forbidden place. The cliffs were practically calling him, the sun radiating and illuminating the clouds with a silver lining. He glanced down the road and saw nobody. It wasn't like he was going to try anything again. Where was the harm in just looking?

His conscience battled for control as he slowly made his way to the cliffs, his better judgement pulling him away. But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

Before he knew it, his toes were hanging over the precarious cliff, chunks of rock and dirt falling away to the unforgiving ocean. The sea that refused to end his pain for him. He knew it wasn't fair to blame the vast body of water for his own failures, but it was so much easier.

"..." His head began to flood with dark thoughts. Confusion, and then anger, swelled up inside of him like the crashing waves below.

"Why?!" he shouted to nothing, to anything that would listen. "Why did I live!? Why did I have to live?!"

Shisui pressed his clenched fists to his ears to block out the roaring in his head. The clouds moved, as if in answer, and the sunlight blinded him. Bewildered and angry, he forced himself to open his eyes against the bright rays.

The key around his throat began to glint as he screamed, violently, demanding to know why he was alive.

The sea was practically drawing him now, gravity pressing in until he was nearly over the edge. But he wouldn't go out like a coward. No way. He opened his eyes as he began to fall, but caught himself when he saw someone staring back at him from the waves.


	4. Chapter 4

Shisui stared fixedly at the face, the distance so far its features were unclear. He watched it for a moment, watching its eyes register on the glint from his journal key, lifting it tentavely. Its eyes followed, flashing eerily from below. Shisui froze for a moment as the creature's head tilted to the side, light catching on the pale blue pallor of its skin.

He bolted.

Away from the cliff.

He jumped on his bike and began to pedal down quickly, the steep hill becoming dangerous. He didn't question it, though, not even thinking when he hit the brakes as a cat darted out in front of his tire. Shisui was thrown off of his bicycle, momentum sending him rolling down the rough side of the hill, rocks and debris scratching away at his body as he fell. He hit the sandy bank face-down, paralyzed temporarily with pain. His body gave a tremor as he pushed himself up, blood dripping from a gash in his forehead and scratches across his arm panging as salt water rushed into them. He sat back against a rock, trying to get over the awful dizziness plauging him. Suddenly, something heavy made contact with the back of his head, nearly knocking him out. He swore loudly, covering his head.

Shisui opened his eyes slowly, withdrawing in shock. The..._thing..._from the cliff...it was three feet away from him, touching its own forehead tentavily where Shisui bled, staring at him with fixated, glossy eyes, complete with black scleras and grey irises, its pupil adorned with three spokes. Eyelashes...or something like it reached at least an inch away from its eyelid, the tips glowing with a bioluminescent, benign bacteria. Its skin was pale blue, chest adorned with navy blue scales like spikes, moving gently with its breathing. Its fingers were webbed with a translucent black webbing, nails long and curved. It had long hair, if it could even be called that, so long it laid on the beach, starting darkest at the top of the creature's head and thin and iridescent as it went down.

Shisui reached for something to arm himself with, pressing back into the rock as if he could just disappear.

"W-..." Shisui clamped his mouth shut. The strange creature's head tilted slightly and its mouth shut with a click, imitating him.

"Are you...copying me?" Shisui sat up, daring to get a bit closer.

The creature straightened up, a small smile gracing its features. Shisui peered at it closely. "You aren't hostile...what _are_ you?"

Almost in response, it slipped the rest of its body out of the water, revealing a long, elegant tail, pale blue like the rest of its body, except for the pale underside and the navy blue spots varying in size like a mozaic. A dorsal fin ran down the length of the tail itself, ending in a sting-ray like barb concealed between its translucent fins, streaked with iridescent colors. He stared at the fin, eyes slowly sliding up to its face.

"Holy shit. Holy shit!" he stood up, covering his mouth. "Holy fuck..."

The creature stared fixedly at Shisui, looking slightly confused. Shisui kneeled down slowly, coming face-to-face with it. "Can you...talk? Y'know...speak?"

The creature let out a low clicking noise beneath its throat, head tilting lightly as it processed Shisui's words.

"Is that a no?"

The creature ducked its head low, staring at Shisui's feet fascinatedly. It let out what sounded like a surprised gasp when his toes wiggled in the sand. It smiled up at Shisui, pleased, then looked back down at the small appendages. Shisui laughed at its reaction, then moved his toes about once more. He filled with mirth at the...dare he think it? Mermaid's reaction.

"Feet," he stated slowly. "You don't have them. You have a fin."

For a moment, its eyes lit up in understanding, glancing back at its own fin, which swayed in understanding. Shisui watched as the creature examined his face, the defensive scales receding smoothly back into its chest, leaving not a trace of them behind. "You're very intelligent, aren't you?" he asked, intrigued. "You must be."

Just to test it out, he said clearly, "Feet."

Shisui's heart leapt a bit when the mermaid immediately looked down to his feet, pointing at them. "Yes! Very good."

A low clicking eminated from the creature as it smiled up at Shisui trustingly. "I'm Shisui," he said slowly, hoping the creature would register. "Shisui."

He recognized the glint in its eye. He understood.

"Wow..." Shisui muttered under his breath, grinning. "Wow! A fucking mermaid! I knew I wasn't crazy...I _knew_ it!"

He flinched a bit as the mermaid touched his forehead gently, the slippery blood still warm against the creature's cold skin. Shisui looked over it slowly, noticing no evidence of being female, but no evidence of being male either. If anything, it looked asexual. But that wasn't possible. How would they survive without reproduction? He decided to be anachronistic and denote it male as a default.

Was that even appropriate? It had gentle features and soft eyes, a curving frame. But it was easier to denote it as male.

Anyways, he gently touched the wound on Shisui's forehead, then turned back to the water. For a moment, Shisui thought the blood had scared him and made to stop him from leaving until the creature turned around, hands cupped with seawater. He recoiled a bit, knowing it would sting, but the downcast look the mermaid gave him made Shisui stay still as he tilted Shisui's head back, dripping the water into the wound. He flinched as it hit, but the pain began to ebb away slowly, the water washing the blood from his forehead.

Shisui slowly probed the wound, finding the pain nearly gone. He gave the mermaid a curious look that it returned with a small smile, head lilting.

The creature stared fixedly at the key around Shisui's throat, glinting in the sunlight. An idea sparked in Shisui's head suddenly.

"Can I use this to see you again?"

He stared uncomprehendingly. Shisui frowned, considering how to go about teaching him. He held the key up to the sun, wincing at the brightness. The mermaid stared at it fixedly. Shisui held it in his fist, pointing to the cliffs by his house. "When you see this," he uncurled his fingers to reveal the glinting key, "up there," he pointed to the cliff, "you can come. I'll meet you."

The mermaid slowly pieced together the sentence. He pointed to the key, the cliffs, and then to Shisui. Shisui nodded approvingly, making the mermaid smile, revealing his sharp teeth.

He felt a strange reassurance around the creature, suddenly not wanting to leave its side. It was odd, the attraction, but it felt like this strange creature that turned up from the sea like Venus understood him better than most people on the land did. Shisui shook his head disapprovingly. What a drastically romantic suggestion. He can't even speak.

"I'll see you later, okay?" he told the mermaid, who nodded comprehendingly, pointing to the cliff. Shisui nodded, and the creature made a soft clicking noise below his breath, taking care to wipe the blood from his hand completely onto a rock before slipping efforlessly back into the water.

Shisui blinked twice as it disappeared and pinched the inside of his arm briefly to test if he was dreaming.

It hurt.

Shisui shook his head and climbed back up onto the hill, righting his bike and riding back down, carefully this time, to the store.

"Sorry I'm late. Ran into some trouble on the road," he called. Mable gave him a concerned look.

"Shisu, what happened?"

"I was going to fast down the hill. I ended up wrecking," the part with the mermaid went unsaid.

"Do you need to go home?"

"No way, I'm fine. I'll start unloading the deliveries, okay? No worries."

He pondered why she looked so concerned as he went into the back, taking the crates one-by-one and stacking them against the wall for easier access later. His forehead throbbed gently as he worked, a constant reminder of what had actually happened. It felt like a dream.

It must be, somehow. He would wake up and find out it was all fake. He's felt pain in his dreams before. Not physical, however, but there was a first time for everything.

After all, he was good at dreaming that life was great. Then he usually woke up just when it got good. It was an art that he mastered at a young age.

-o-

"Want me to help lock up?" Shisui asked as he pulled his messy hair back into a ponytail, yawning quietly.

"No, no, dear. Thank you for asking. Oh!" Mable turned and grabbed what looked to be an ancient first-aid kit. Shisui blinked in confusion. "Here," she offered as explanation, squeezing a bit of neosporin onto her finger and dabbing it gently onto the above his brow, then moving to his arms.

"Take care not to hit any cats on the way home," she chimed playfully, wiping away the excess medicine on her jeans as she called for her husband.

Shisui began to leave when he realized he hadn't told her about the cat darting out in front of him. Did he? He shook his head and continued out of the door. It must be an expression or something, he assured himself.

-o-

His mother and sister were still gone when he made it home. The sun was just bright enough to catch the silvery key at the right angle.

Shisui watched the waves closely, sitting for at least ten minutes, straining his eyes to see his new friend.

_See? _the voice in the back of his head said coldly. _Nothing._

"You don't know that," he responded softly, holding the key up higher. Maybe he just couldn't see it?

He was startled by the cry that rose above the crashing waves, drawing his eyes down to the sea. It sounded like a dolphin. They must be coming by. He really wished Kimmi were there, then.

But there was no telltale response to the high-pitched cry. No sleek, finned bodies piercing the surface of the water. Just a bobbing head staring up at him.

"So that's how you communicate..." he smiled, elated. "Echolocation. That's so fucking cool."

They met up where Shisui found him that morning, Shisui looking as pleased as ever. He kept chanting mentally, I told you so! I told you so! He's right fucking there, I _told_ you so!

Who the "you" was, he never really knew.

"You really are smart," Shisui greeted the mermaid with a smile, sitting down on the sand. The creature watched Shisui's relaxed demeanor and slowly, unsurely, lowered himself to rest on his elbows, chin in his palms, watching for his new friend's approval. "You're comfortable around me, already?"

The low, approving clicking noise came from the back of the creature's throat, a dreamy look making itself known in his eyes. Shisui wondered vaugely if, like humans wanting to meet mermaids, mermaids wanted to meet humans, as well. Or maybe, only a select kind.

"Well..." he began. "I'm glad. I won't hurt you," he put his palms up to show he had nothing to harm the creature with. It, in response, rolled over onto its back playfully, grinning up at its new friend as if to say, "I know already."

Shisui couldn't help but laugh. This thing was incredibly cute. And sociable. Kind of like a dolphin. Some sort of human-porpoise crossbreed. But that wasn't exactly logical. And he looked nearly nothing like Hollywood's rendition of a mermaid. His hair looked rather slippery, unlike human hair, and iridescent. His entire body was a pale blue, unlike the human torso that they usually displayed. And he noticed three slits on either side of his neck closed tightly that opened whenever a wave would crash and dampen his tail, only to clamp shut again once it receded.

But its face was the most refining feature. It had a delicate quality to it, a gentle demeanor that suggested it was more human than most _humans_ were nowadays. It's "eyelashes" were glowing gently in the dimming light of the day, illuminating its eyes. _He must use those for seeing underwater at night..._Shisui reasoned, examining the creature more. Navy blue spots, sized like tiny pebbles in a mosaic followed his eyebrow down his cheek and beneath his eye, adorning his shoulders as well.

"I need something to call you..." Shisui mused out loud. The creature frowned. "Is there any way you can tell me your name? ...If you have one," he amended quickly.

Shisui laughed in amusement as he gained a face that said "Are you serious?". "Yes I'm serious. _I_ don't know if you have names or not."

The creature blinked, then began to trace his nail in the sand, leaving behind strange markings for Shisui to stare at blankly.

Then, an idea struck. He pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture of the ocean. "What do you call this? How do you write it?"

It began to scratch the symbols into the sand while Shisui wrote the alphabet on his arm, a though z. He glanced down and, to his vast relief, he noticed it had five characters, just like the word had five letters. It would be easier than he thought. He carefully jotted down the symbol beneath the corresponding letter. "O...c...e...a...n..." he mumbled. "Okay...how about this," he quickly searched for a picture of the sky. The same process repeated until he had every letter filled out. "Awesome..." he murmured, quickly taking a picture so he could write it down later. "So...how do you write your name?" he looked up as the creature set about writing his name.

He began to match the letters.

"I...t...a...c...h...i..." he mumbled lowly. "Itachi? Am I saying that right?"

The creature, Itachi, lit up immediately, nodding once. Shisui smiled and wrote his own name in the sand in Itachi's script.

Itachi nodded as if to say, "I'll remember."

They heard a high pitched call come from the dark water and suddenly realized how late it was, the night already fallen. Two sihlouetted figures let out piercing cries, barely illuminated by the moon. Itachi turned around and let out a call of his own, sounding vaguely reassuring. He gave Shisui an apologetic smile and held up his hand in goodbye.

Shisui nodded. "Can I see you tomorrow?"

Itachi glanced back to who Shisui assumed was his parents and nodded, smiling. "Alright. See you tomorrow, then."

Itachi nodded and slipped effortlessly back into the water.

Shisui made his way back up the hill carefully in the dark, using his phone to illuminate the path. The lights were all on in the house and several cars were sitting out front, including a police car. Shisui cursed and ran up the path, throwing the door open.

"Momma, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Shisu!" he heard her cry, feeling his mother's body crash into his fiercly, throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh my God! I thought you did it! I thought you fucking did it how dare you!" she screamed incoherently.

"What the Hell are you going on about-" Shisui pushed his mother at arm's length to see her tear-streaked face. His heart sank instantly. "Momma..."

"Oh, God, Shisu...baby, don't fucking...where were you?!" she slammed her palms into Shisui's chest. "I thought you fucking killed yourself!"

Her hair was coming out of her bun, just as curly and messy as Shisui's, coppery under the light. It flew about wildly in a way that made her look as if she was unravling. Her mascara was smeared down her face and her eyes were red and puffy. She looked utterly mad at the moment. She grabbed him by his shirt front and pulled her son in close, hugging him tightly. "Don't scare me like that...Jesus H. Christ..."

Shisui tentavely wrapped his arms around his trembling mother, holding her close. No words were needed.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Officer Christov standing behind him with a solemn expression. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

He released his mother and followed the officer into the kitchen, closing the door.

"Yeah?" Shisui asked warily.

"You...haven't seen anything strange around the ocean, have you?"

Shisui thought back to Itachi, the others that obviously existed, and stared, assessing the officer carefully. Why would he want to know? What did it matter? He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"Other than the trash those stupid tourists leave every year, no. Why?"

Christov looked him over slowly, assessing whether he was lying or not. Shisui scowled slightly. "Can I help you? Seriously. My mother is beside herself out there thinking I'm dead."

"If you aren't careful, you might be," he warned as he left.

Shisui stared, dumbfounded, as the officer left the kitchen.

-o-


	5. Chapter 5

Shisui sighed, turning over. Another sleepless night with far too much on his mind. Ever since that night, he couldn't help but worry and succumb to anxiety over Itachi. What Offiicer Christov said...did he know about Itachi? Or any of them for that matter? Did anybody?

No...there was no way they would. Right?

Shisui cursed, raking his trembling fingers through his hair. It had been a month since that happened and Itachi was fine. They were all fine. He still saw the rest of the pod occasionally, and Itachi every day.

He couldn't help but worry over him, though. He couldn't imagine a a day going by not seeing Itachi, much less seeing him ever again. He had to make sure he was okay _now_.

"Fuck it," he sighed, getting up and pulling on a shirt. He rifled around in his drawer for a flashlight and tucked it into his pocket, slipping on his shoes, then sneaking out of the house. He shut the door quietly behind himself, darting to the cliffs and holding the key up, lighting the key with his flashlight. He waited several minutes before he saw the barely-there glow of Itachi's eyelashes, narrowing the beam of the flashlight until it hit the mermaid dead-on, laughing quietly when Itachi rubbed his eyes and glowered at him.

Shisui cocked his head towards their usual meeting place and Itachi nodded, cutting through the water with ease. He hopped on his bike and began to pedal down the dark hill.

Suddenly, he cursed, halting on the road. He whipped out the flashlight and quickly flashed it on and off in rapid succession, relieved as Itachi took notice and ducked beneath the water.

Christov looked up, honing in on Shisui almost immediately, approaching. Shisui recoiled slightly, hands becoming slick with sweat as he gripped the handlebars of his bike tightly. "Evening," he said stiffly.

"Are you aware that it's past curfew for _children_ under the age of eighteen?" Christov ground out slowly, emphasizing the word "children".

"The law only applies if you're off of your own personal property. You remember that our land stretches from there," he pointed to the cliff, "to there," he motioned to the city sign. "So, technically, at this hour, _you're_ tresspassing. Considering you're supposed to _uphold_ the law instead of break it, I wouldn't find myself in the position to make threats."

The policeman straightened up with a sneer, his coppery eyes seething silently. Shisui stared back with an even glower. "Why did you flash your light like that up the road a ways?"

"Would it matter?" Shisui threw back.

"Are you dodging the question?"

"I owe you no explanation."

"Answer me!"

"It went out for a minute. Flickered, y'know? Had to fix it. Chill the fuck out."

The officer looked Shisui over slowly.

"Quit givin' me the evil eye. I'm on my own property, so it's legal. I couldn't sleep anyways, what, with you makin' death threats at me," Shisui snarled. "Let's see...tresspassing at three in the morning on private property, breaking and entering, judging by the fact the gate is open and there's only one key, and threatining somebody's life, _especially_ a minor. And if I happened to bring it up at the station-I'm usually there with my uncle, y'know, the cheif of police _and_ your boss-I would assume I wouldn't be seeing you patrolling _my_ street much longer, now, would I?"

It was a long shot. He _was_ threatening a cop. But it was their land, and the gate was locked. Technically, he shouldn't be there. They stared each other down carefully, assessing each's threat slowly. That's when the officer noticed Shisui's phone had been out for the past several minutes and he, himself, was highlighted with the flashlight's beam.

_The little shit was filming him._

"Alright, I get it," he relented, turning away.

Just to spite him, Shisui smirked and leaned back a bit, relaxing, calling, "You didn't lock it!" just as Christov passed the gate, chuckling childishly as the officer groaned.

Once he was out of sight, Shisui flashed the highbeam into the water several times, laughing a bit as he saw Itachi's head slowly rise above the water, just below his eyes. Shisui barely made out Itachi's bioluminescent eyelashes batting and made his way down the hill to the bank where they met.

"Damn, that was close..." Shisui sighed as Itachi slipped onto the bank, yawning a bit. Shisui looked stunned. "You yawn?"

Itachi nodded, watching Shisui with tired but intrigued eyes, smiling slightly as he crossed his arms and laid his head down in them, hair falling around his shoulders.

"Look, we have to talk, 'tachi," he said anxiously.

Itachi sat up at once, understanding his tone. He hadn't heard it before. Every other time Shisui spoke it was light. Now...

"I'm worried that somebody will find you," he said after a while.

The humanoid looked confused. _You found me?_ His eyes said.

"Somebody who'll hurt you. Somebody who isn't me. I don't know why I didn't tell you before, but that man up there, Christov, was at my house a month ago and practically threatened my life when I told him I hadn't seen anything in the water around here. He was talking about you, I think. You and your pod."

Itachi's eyes lit up in fear, glancing down the road as his pupils dialated to take in more light. The three prongs stretched until they touched the edge of his iris, yet he still had to squint to try and make out any threat. Shisui noticed that the defensive plating of scales on his chest began to show, the sharp tips moving softly with his breath. He even drew his barbed tail closer to him. Shisui held up his hands reassuringly.

"Don't worry," he promised. "I won't let anything happen to you. Or your family. I'll protect you with my life."

Itachi's shoulders tightened a bit and he gently slipped his hand beneath Shisui's until the older teen relented and lifted his hand, albeit a tad reluctantly. He knew exactly what Itachi was going to do. His premonition was right as Itachi pressed his palm into Shisui's. _I promise the same._

"...we have to find somewhere new to meet..." he mused quietly, their palms still pressed together even after a while. Each's presence was reassuring to the other as they sat, silently. "We have time, though," he assured. "That asshole won't be back for a while, what with the evidence I have. So there's no rush. But it needs to be somewhere easy to find, like this."

Itachi nodded, then slowly scanned the coast. There was really no spot like this nearby. He looked downcast for a moment and gave Shisui a forlorn look.

"Don't worry," he assured. "We'll find someplace. I'll never let us get seperated."

Itachi nodded and placed his palm once more against Shisui's.

"Yeah...don't worry. I won't let us be separated."

Shisui froze as Itachi lowered himself a bit, letting his head rest on Shisui's shoulder. He gently began to trace his strange letters into Shisui's shoulder, Shisui himself translating it in his head slowly.

_"F...r...i...e...n...d...s..."_ he whispered. "Friends...yeah..." he mumbled happily.

Itachi made his soft clicking noise and sat up, staring at Shisui's necklace fixedly. Itachi must've had a penchant for shiny things, he thought distantly, because the glassy beads were gently illuminated by the moon. Shisui's eyes lit up as he reached into his pocket and found the spare necklace that came with his.

"Hey, c'mere."

Itachi leaned in a bit, eyelashes nearly brushing Shisui's cheek as he blinked. Shisui made to hook the necklace around Itachi's throat, but he recoiled as the defensive scales began to rise. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. Look."

Shisui clipped the necklace around his own throat, showing Itachi exactly how it was done, then fastened it around Itachi's in turn, pulling away to let Itachi get used to it. The mermaid curiously tugged at the necklace, then smiled at Shisui contently.

"You trust me, then?"

Itachi nodded, taking Shisui's arm gently and tracing the letters into his arm. _"T...r...u...s...t..."_

-o-

A/N: If you can name the movie this line is from:

"You didn't lock it."

I think we should run away together immediately.

Seriously.

Let's do it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think~

-The Swimming Nakano~


End file.
